China’s political leaders and elites begin a four-day meeting Monday to discuss strengthening the ruling Communist Party’s discipline, as Chinese President Xi Jinping pushes for greater loyalty and reliability from officials while deepening his yearslong campaign against corruption.
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Jinping → begin → corruption
This week’s closed-door gathering, known as the fifth plenum of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, comes roughly a year before Xi is widely expected to secure his fourth five-year term as the party’s leader and personnel changes to key leadership bodies.
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Xi → know → bodies
While Xi has consolidated his grip on power, analysts say the plenum will offer him an opportunity to further align what Chinese officials do with what Beijing wants.
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Beijing → consolidate → what
“The plenum is a chance to ensure the new generations rising the ranks share Xi’s assessment of the opportunities and risks China faces,” said Ruby Osman, a senior policy adviser at London’s Tony Blair Institute for Global Change.
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Osman → ensure → Change
Xi targets underperforming cadres and corruption
Xi’s anti-graft drive has been a defining feature of his rule since he came to power in 2012.
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he → target → 2012
Purges of officials — including some viewed as his political rivals — have been carried out on a scale that led critics to argue the campaign was also used to consolidate his power.
But his focus has expanded to cracking down on underperforming cadres too.
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focus → include → cadres
In recent years, the number of officials punished for “formalism” and “bureaucratism” — misconduct such as dereliction of duty, inaction and reckless acts that seriously hinder development — has surged.
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that → punish → development
During the plenum, the central committee will discuss a draft policy decision on advancing “full and rigorous party self-governance,” China’s official Xinhua News Agency reported.
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Agency → discuss → governance
The push could make cadres more disciplined, effective and less corrupt.
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cadres → make → ?
The proposal reflects Xi’s emphasis on the party’s “self-revolution,” a concept centered on the party reforming itself through efforts such as rooting out corruption and building ideological commitment.
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party → reflect → commitment
Osman said Xi’s disciplinary crackdowns are now aimed more at institutional longevity.
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crackdowns → say → longevity
“It’s less about purging elite rivals and more about building a disciplined system that can sustain Xi’s political priorities across leadership cycles,” she said.
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she → ’ → cycles
Record-high disciplinary campaigns also do not necessarily mean a rebound in corruption, but rather that Xi has been steadily raising the bar for the party’s expectations of officials, she added.
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she → mean → officials
Mingda Qiu, senior analyst of Eurasia Group’s China practice, said Beijing has been building its agenda for months.
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Beijing → say → months
“The message is clear: the anti-corruption campaign is not winding down.
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campaign → wind → ?
Officials are not only tested for loyalty, but also for compliance and action,” he said.
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he → test → compliance
Xi said in a January meeting that while decisions by the party’s top leadership were smoothly implemented in general, inspections and audits found problems such as failures to comply and improper execution, according to an October article in the Qiushi Journal, a publication of the central committee.
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inspections → say → committee
Xi warned against “two-faced people” who might profess political loyalty while privately defying orders and doing as they please.
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they → warn → orders
“During leadership transitions, we must keep our eyes sharp, elevate good cadres who are truly loyal and reliable, consistent in word and deed, and willing to take responsibility, and never allow ‘two-faced people’ or those driven by self-interest to slip through,” Xi was quoted as saying.
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Xi → keep → interest
Xi’s purges of top army officials will be put on display
The number of empty seats in the conference hall this week will help observers gauge how widespread Xi’s purges have been.
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purges → put → hall
Neil Thomas, senior fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute, and his colleagues Lobsang Tsering and Shengyu Wang noted that while Xi’s civilian purges are record-breaking, 42 out of 44 officials affiliated with the military elected as full central committee members in 2022 have also been purged or disappeared.
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officials → note → 2022
The central committee started its term in 2022 with more than 370 full and alternate members.
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committee → start → members
Thomas and his colleagues estimated turnout this week could be less than 80%, potentially setting a record low at any plenum since the end of former leader Mao Zedong’s rule in 1976.
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turnout → estimate → 1976
Attention will also be on new demands on the officials who remain.
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who → remain → officials
Thomas expects tighter scrutiny of public spending and major projects, more use of technology to uncover corruption, and tougher consequences for officials who fail to deliver on Xi’s priorities.
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who → expect → priorities
New personnel appointments are possible, though Xi may wait until a once-in-five-years Communist Party Congress next year to anoint his picks, said Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute in London.
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Tsang → wait → London
If he does fill any openings, it will be with loyalists, he added.
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he → fill → loyalists
Hints at a Xi successor are unlikely
The underlying theme of the fifth plenum is that it will be another opportunity for Xi to position himself for an unprecedented fourth term in office.
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Xi → underlie → office
Xi, who removed presidential term limits in 2018, is viewed by some as the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao.
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who → remove → Mao
He is widely expected to be confirmed as party leader for the next term in the fall of 2027.
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He → expect → 2027
Ahead of that, Thomas said new ideological language reinforcing Xi’s authority might emerge at this week’s meeting.
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language → say → meeting
He said the plenum should prepare the ground for Xi’s fourth term and reinforce expectations of political and policy continuity.
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plenum → say → continuity
“After Xi has purged so many of the people that he promoted at the last congress, watch for tougher scrutiny of the officials competing to join his next leadership team,” he said.
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he → purge → team
Mistreanu reported from Bangkok.
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Mistreanu → report → Bangkok
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